A group of Quiznos franchisees at odds with the Denver sandwich chain earned a modest legal victory last week, when a judge in Denver upheld a temporary injunction that blocks the company from terminating their franchise agreements.

The ruling by U.S. District Judge John L. Kane means the dispute will be settled at trial.

The issue stems from a decision last year by members of a Quiznos franchisee group to post online a suicide note left by a California franchisee.

In response, Quiznos attempted to terminate the contracts of eight franchise owners affiliated with a group, known as the Toasted Subs Franchisee Association. Quiznos maintained that the franchisees were damaging the chain’s reputation.

Five of the eight franchisees initially involved in the dispute have settled with the company, so the judge’s decision impacted only the three remaining franchisees, said Chris Bray, a franchisee in Texas and president of the association.

“Quiznos’ heavy-handed actions were unjust, and the judge set it right – at least in the short term,” Bray said.

Quiznos in a prepared statement said it terminated the franchisee agreements in an effort to protect its brand.

“We respect the court’s decision, but disagree with the conclusion,” the statement reads. “Many of our franchise owners have told us that they are very upset with (the group’s) tactics to harm the brand and their livelihoods and have asked that we protect them.”

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